Rush excited for second life

Team opens Friday night at Iowa

It's 2001 all over again for coach Mike Hohensee and the revived Rush.

The indoor pro football team is back in business after a 20-month hiatus, with the same name, coach and home arena plus a sprinkling of familiar faces.

But nearly everything else is new as Arena Football returns Friday night when the Rush debut against the Iowa Barnstormers in Des Moines.

"I'm definitely excited, we've been waiting for this for a long time," said Hohensee, a 16-year indoor football veteran who has guided the Rush since their debut in 2001. "We started with a young team then with a few Arena vets, a lot of guys from Arena2 and rookies coming off the street, and we were competitive right off the bat."

Whether the new Rush succeed remains to be seen. But the team and new league already have scored some success simply by emerging from the wreckage of the old Arena Football League.

The former AFL collapsed after 2008, a victim of spiraling costs and disagreements among owners over spending, administrative practices and other issues.

AFL filed for bankruptcy protection and new organizers, led by new Commissioner Jerry Bartz purchased the league name and other assets.

Last December, the new 15-team league debuted — a combination of old AFL names and existing franchises from the former AF2 indoor minor league.

Although they inherited the name, the new Rush were forced to rebuild from scratch — both on and off the field.

Ken Valdiserri, a longtime Bears and local sports executive who is now Rush president and general manager, said there were no records of previous season ticket holders or sponsors.

So the new Rush started off with disadvantages compounded by a short, window to secure new season ticket sales, sponsors and build interest.

"We're doing essentially 16 months of work in four months," Valdiserri said. "It makes it a compressed timeframe to reconnect with fans.

"We don't anticipate having the crowds that they had in 2008 right away, but that will become a building process," he said. "A lot of what we have to develop over the course of time is that trust and that same presentation of the game that was done in former years."

"We have some new guys to the game and it's going to be real interesting to see how they respond," Michna said. "We have a lot of guys who have played before, too. We're just excited to get a chance to play again."

Friday's game against the Barnstormers, a former AF2 team, kicks off a 16-game schedule. The Rush play eight home games at Allstate Arena, starting April 9 against Cleveland.